


The Kitten's Crow

by RogueWolf



Category: RWBY
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Just Add Kittens, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-27
Updated: 2016-02-27
Packaged: 2018-05-23 11:13:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6114730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RogueWolf/pseuds/RogueWolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>James hadn't meant to adopt a kitten, but he couldn't just leave it out in a storm. Kittens were supposed to be good additions to households; they were soft, adoring, loved to cuddle. Everybody loved kittens. Everybody, that is, except Qrow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Kitten's Crow

He almost didn’t hear it. He wouldn’t have heard it at all, except that Ruby had paused her music long enough to answer her scroll. He pushed the front door open, ignoring the rain that soaked into his coat, and started poking around in the bushes beneath the main window. It had to be close, if he could hear it inside.

He cursed under his breath as the branches dragged at him, scratching his face and catching on his clothes, but it was worth it when he pushed his way through to the paved in section where the bushes couldn’t touch the house. The kitten was young, small enough that James was able to pick it up in one hand; its fur was pressed flat against its skin with the rain and matted in other places. It was shivering; its tail was wrapped close around itself, and it mewed pitifully up at James, staring up at him with runny eyes.

James stared at the kitten and then covered it up with his other hand and began to push his way through the bushes. “Ruby,” he called, “who was that?"

Ruby appeared in the doorway, jumping back as her bare feet hit a puddle of water. “It was my Uncle,” she told him. She peered down at James’ cupped hands. “He’s going to be late, Yang’s match ran longer than expected. What’s that?” she asked, trying to lean closer from her spot just inside the doorway.

James nudged her inside gently, catching the door with his foot and closing it. “It’s a kitten,” he said, and uncapped his hands enough for the kitten to push its head out and look around the room.

“Kitty!” Ruby squealed, “Aww, you poor baby, all alone in the rain,” she brushed gentle fingers across the kitten’s head, smiling delightedly as it pushed itself up against her fingers. “What’s wrong with its eyes?”

“Probably an eye infection,” James told her, and gently placed the kitten in her hands. “I’m going to call the vet; make sure it doesn’t get anywhere it shouldn’t.”

“It won’t,” Ruby said. She settled onto the floor, the kitten in her lap as she petted it. “We’ll be just fine.”

James smiled and then headed into the kitchen to grab his scroll.

* * *

 “What,” Qrow asked flatly, “is that?”

“It’s a kitten!” Ruby exclaimed. She bounced over to Qrow and Yang, the kitten held in her arms. “Uncle James found him outside.”

Yang cooed and bent over the kitten, scratching its chin. The two girls giggled as the kitten opened its tiny mouth and yawned. “What did you name him?” Yang asked, looking up at James. “He has a name, right?”

“I thought I’d discuss that with Qrow,” James said, not missing the way Qrow glared at him. He ignored it and focused on the kitten currently batting at Yang’s hair. “Names are important, after all. I’d hate to rush into it.”

“I told Uncles James he should name him ‘Thunder,’ since he found him in a thunderstorm,” Ruby said. She tickled the kitten’s belly. “But he said no, not without talking to Uncle Qrow.” She looked at Qrow, her eyes large and pleading, and Qrow crossed his arms.

“Nope, puppy eyes aren’t going to work on me, kiddo.”

Ruby sighed.

“What about ‘Thunder **bolt**?’” Yang asked. “It makes him sound fierce.”

“No,” Qrow said, “I’m not naming a cat.”

Ruby and Yang pouted at him, and James slide between them, gently taking the kitten from Ruby’s arms. “What he means to say, is that he’s not going to name the kitten _now._ ” He turned so only Qrow could see his face and gave him a stern look. “It’s like I said,” he continued, turning back to the girls, “names are important. We’ll need some time.”

“All right,” Ruby said sadly. She gave the kitten one last head rub. “Thanks for letting me visit, Uncle James.”

“You are welcome here anytime, Ruby,” he told her. She smiled at him and hugged him quickly, mindful of the kitten. She hugged Qrow just as briefly and then headed to the door. Yang gave them both a tiny salute and followed her sister outside. There was the familiar roar of Yang’s motorcycle starting up and then silence as they headed home. James turned to look at Qrow.

Qrow’s arms were still crossed, and he was scowling at the kitten. “We’re not keeping it,” he said, when he noticed James watching him.

“I think we should,” James told him. “Your nieces are already in love with him, and he's too young to be on his own.”

“So take him to the shelter,” Qrow snapped. “Cats and I don’t get along.”

James smiled at him fondly. “If I remember correctly, that’s because you like to antagonize them.”

“They deserved it,” Qrow said hotly.

James’ smile grew wider. “And this kitten hasn’t done anything to you. So there’s no harm in keeping him.”

Qrow stared at him and then flung up his arms. “Fine. But if it starts to cause trouble, I get to say I told you so.”

“Very well,” James said. “Though I don’t anticipate the kitten being the one to causes trouble.”

Qrow didn’t respond, just stomped off to the sofa and threw himself onto it. James rolled his eyes and followed, lifting Qrow’s legs and sitting at the other end of the sofa. Qrow waited for him to get settled and then stretched his legs out over James’ lap. “What are you going to call it? And don’t pretend you don’t already have a name picked out.”

“I don’t. I wasn’t kidding when I said names were important.” James looked down at the kitten, who was watching Qrow’s foot twitch back and forth. “This is our first pet together and I think we should both have a hand in naming him.”

Qrow gave him an exasperated look, but the corners of his mouth were curling up. “You’re such a sap, Jimmy.”

James tickled Qrow’s knee and Qrow jumped and glared. James smiled back. “Fine,” Qrow groaned. “Let’s name the damn cat.”

James leaned over and placed the kitten on Qrow’s chest. Qrow watched it warily as it found its balance and sniffed at him. “Alright, do you have anything you want in particular?”

“No,” Qrow grumbled, “Because I wasn’t expecting to own a cat.”

“Your nieces had some nice suggestions,” James pointed out. “I rather liked Thunderbolt.”

“People name horses ‘Thunderbolt,’ Jimmy, not cats.”

“Well, it’s a good start.” James leaned into the couch and watched the kitten walk across Qrow’s chest. He was rubbing Qrow’s ankle absentmindedly, and Qrow arched his foot into his hand. “I’d like the name to mean something. Something important. Something like-”

“Something like, YOU LITTLE SHIT NUGGET!”

James started as Qrow sat up, flinging his hand away from the kitten who went flying through the air. James shoved Qrow’s legs off him and reached for the kitten. He grabbed it before it hit the sofa chair and he scowled at Qrow. “What did you do that for?”

Qrow had the back of this hand pressed to his mouth; he was sucking at the scratches there and glaring at the cat crouched in James’ hands. “I told you,” he mumbled fiercely. “I told you cats were trouble.” He pulled his hand away, squinted at it, and then stuck it back against his mouth.

“He’s a kitten, Qrow. They pounce things that move. It’s how they learn.” James walked over to his desk, still holding the kitten. He rummaged through one of the drawers and then came back to the sofa, a small first aid kit in his hand. “Here. You should use actual an actual antiseptic. You don’t know where its claws have been.”

Qrow stared at him balefully and flipped the kit open. He started cleaning his hand, hissing as he went. "If that little shit nugget tries to pounce me again, he’s gonna regret it.”

“That’s what the squirt bottles are for,” James said, and when Qrow looked up, confusion written all across his face, James gestured at the small squirt bottles scattered around the room. “The vet suggested squirt bottles. They’re filled with water and whenever the kitten does something bad, like biting people, you squirt him with water.”

“…You want me to squirt the little shit nugget with water. And that’s going to magically cure his bad behavior.”

“Yes,” James said sternly.

Qrow rolled his eyes and went back to cleaning his hand. “Fine.”

They were silent for a few moment, Qrow tearing open band-aids the only sound in the room. The kitten had curled up and gone to sleep; it had twisted onto its side, curled so that one of his front paws and tail covered its nose.

“I’m naming it Shit Nugget,” Qrow announced suddenly and clicked the first aid-kit closed.

James started at him, aghast. “You can’t name a kitten ‘Shit Nugget.’”

“Too bad,” Qrow said, “I just did.” He crossed his arms and settled into the cushions. “You wanted a name that has meaning, this one does.”

“Qrow, that’s just…that’s ridiculous.”

“I don’t care,” Qrow growled. “You wanted my opinion, you got it. Call him Nugget or Nug or something. Hell, you can call it Shugget. But his full name is Shit Nugget.” The kitten mewed sleepily and Qrow jabbed a finger at it. “See? It agrees with me.”

James opened his mouth to argue and then stopped. He looked at Qrow, then the kitten, then back to Qrow, who was sulking amongst the cushions. “All right,” he sighed. “Have it your way. But,” he said firmly, “we are not introducing it like that.”

Qrow shrugged. “Yeah, fine. Introduce him however you want.” He grinned smugly. “So long as his full name goes on the vet records.”

James sighed again and rubbed his forehead.

* * *

-Six months later-

“Uncle Qrow? Uncle Qrow, we’re going to be late, the concert-”

Ruby froze in the doorway and stared. Qrow was crashed out on the sofa. He had one arm tucked behind his head but the other one rested atop the fluffy kitten stretched along Qrow’s chest. Nugget blinked sleepily at Ruby and she grinned.

“Hey Nugget,” she whispered. She pulled out her scroll and took a picture, giggling softly as Nugget yawned and tucked his head against Qrow’s arm. She grinned at the picture and then crept out of the room. Maybe Uncle James would go with her instead.

**Author's Note:**

> [This is how I imagine the kitten to look like.](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/af/de/fb/afdefbb7039d70e8692834af2f21a8b9.jpg)
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> As always, you can find me on tumblr [here](http://roguewolfprints.tumblr.com)


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